Bodo Militant Sentenced To Life & Rigorous Imprisonment By NIA Special Court In 2014 Assam Indiscriminate Firing Case

The NIA Special Court, Guwahati, on Tuesday sentenced Bodo militant Rabi Basumatary @ Rongjabaja @ Rabi to life imprisonment, along with rigorous imprisonment for 10 years, in various cases of IPC and UA(P) Act in a 2014 case of indiscriminate firing on villagers in Assam.

Rabi, who was convicted by the court on March 13, 2023, has been sentenced to life imprisonment in two cases and RI in two others (Sections 302, 307 and 34 of the IPC and section 16 (1) (a) & 20 of the UA (P) Act, 1967). He has also been fined in all the cases, and will have to undergo additional simple imprisonment in case of failure to pay the same. All the substantive sentences will run concurrently.

Seven villagers were killed and two grievously injured in the case, in which Rabi was arrested in September 2016 and chargesheeted by NIA in March 2017 through the first supplementary chargesheet.

The original chargesheet in the case was filed in Gossaigaon (Balapara), Assam, against accused Pradip Brahma @ Pwler in August 2015. A second supplementary chargesheet was filed in October 2019 against accused Upen Basumatary @ Usaobadao, while a third supplementary chargesheet was filed in January 2021 against five absconding accused persons.

The Special NIA Court had convicted and sentenced accused Pradip Brahma @ Pwler to life imprisonment in July 2016. Trial against Upen is ongoing and the search for the absconding accused is continuing.

Investigations in the case had revealed that Rabi Basumutary @ B.Rongjabaja was a member of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), an armed separatist outfit fighting to obtain a sovereign Boroland for the Bodo people.

On May 1, 2014, Rabi, along with six other NDFB cadres, had entered Balapra village
under Gosaigaon PS area of Kokrajhar district of Assam, where they opened indiscriminate fire on the villagers on instructions from top NDFB leadership headed by G.Bidai and Songbijit. The Special NIA Court had subsequently registered the case as Special Case 05/2015.

Details of the sentence awarded to Rabi are as follows:
1.
Section 302/34 of IPC – Imprisonment for life and fine of Rs. 1000/- {in default, simple imprisonment of 1 (one) month}

2.
Section 307/34 of IPC – Rigorous imprisonment for 10 (ten) years and fine of Rs. 1000/- {in default, simple imprisonment of 1(one) month}
3.
Section 16(1)(a) UA(P) Act, 1967 – Imprisonment for life and fine of Rs. 1000/- {in default simple imprisonment of 1 (one) month}
4.
Section 20 of UA (P) Act, 1967 – Rigorous imprisonment for 10 (ten) years and fine of Rs. 1000/- {in default simple imprisonment of 1 (one) month}